Throughout the draft process, odds shift and change as to who will likely come off the board at the top. When the Panthers first traded up to the first overall pick, CJ Stroud of Ohio State was looked at as the most likely #1 overall pick, but as we have moved closer, it has become all but a guarantee that Nick Saban is about to have his first #1 pick in Bryce Young.
Now that Young will not fall to the Houston Texans, new head coach (and former Alabama linebacker) DeMeco Ryans may not like the rest of the signal callers in the class enough to select one as high as #2, which leaves them with some interesting options. They could certainly trade down and collect assets to prepare to move up for a QB next year, but they could also grab a blue chip, can’t miss prospect on defense.
In this draft, that player is Will Anderson. Will Ryans and Texans GM Nick Caseiro like Anderson enough to be willing to alienate the fan base and not select a QB, even though they desperately need one? There are a lot of factors at play here, one of them being the fact that the best player on the board is going to be Anderson. Personally, if I were the Texans, I would trade down, but you could understand if Ryans wants a player who will be a focal point in his defense for years to come.
With the draft just two days away, we’ll find out soon enough!